3D printed buildings coming in 2018
Doka Ventures, a sister company of formwork specialist Doka, has announced that it has taken a 30 percent share in Contour Crafting Corporation as the two companies prepare to deliver the worlds first production series-ready robotic 3D construction printers early next year.
Deployed in the field, the system will initially print building shells layer by layer and are designed for use wherever accommodation and infrastructure have to be provided rapidly and affordably. The brainchild of inventor and Contour Crafting Corporation CEO Behrokh Khoshnevis, the 400 kg robotic 3D construction printers could reduce the time it takes to construct buildings to mere hours or days.
As well as manufacturing and selling the 3D construction printers, Contour Crafting Corporation also intends to provide on-site building construction as a service.
According to Khoshnevis, the system can be easily assembled on-site and an ordinary truck or a standard marine-freight shipping container could carry several of the robots at one time. Only one or two operators certified are needed to monitor progress on the build, he added.
The systems are manufactured in Los Angeles, California and are being marketed to developers and contractors. Potential applications include the construction of social housing and infrastructure as well as providing rapidly built structures in areas that are undergoing disaster relief.
The first orders are already in the books, confirmed Werner Bittner, executive board member of Doka Ventures and newly appointed chairman of the board of directors of Contour Crafting Corporation.
